Wyoming
Research Resurrects Dinosaur Debate Over ‘Baby T. Rex’ That Roamed Wyoming
The first major dinosaur news of 2024 is a tyrannical act of necromancy. New research has grabbed the paleontological equivalent of “the third rail” by making the case to resurrect Nanotyrannus, a tiny tyrant dubbed “Baby T. rex” buried in enormous controversy.
Tyrannosaurus fossils discovered in the Hell Creek Formation, which stretches across Montana and the Dakotas, have been giving paleontologists hell. A new paper published Jan. 2 is the latest fuel in the raging fire over the dinosaur diversity — or lack thereof — at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs.
“For decades, a debate has gone on as to whether certain mid-sized specimens of tyrannosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of the American West represent juveniles of Tyrannosaurus rex, or if instead, they represent a separate dinosaur called Nanotyrannus lancensis,” said Thomas Holtz, Ph.D., who is the principal lecturer on vertebrate paleontology at the University of Maryland.
The majority consensus is that there is no Nanotyrannus. Since its fossils are found in the same places as the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex, which includes Wyoming and the surrounding region, most paleontologists believe the carnivore that looks like a smaller T. rex is just a smaller T. rex.
Paleontologists Nicholas Longrich and Evan Saitta studied the interior and exterior of dozens of Tyrannosaurus fossils and those previously attributed to Nanotyrannus. Their paper concludes that “the evidence strongly supports recognition of Nanotyrannus as a distinct species.”
Nanotyrannus tends to dominate the dinosaurian discourse whenever it’s brought up, and the newest research is no exception. It’s a prehistoric standoff that’s as heated as any political debate.
Tiny Tyrant, Big Debate
The dinosaur formerly known as Nanotyrannus roamed Wyoming, Montana and the western United States about 66 million years ago at the very end of the Age of Dinosaurs. But the controversial story started in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1980s.
The relatively complete skull of a carnivorous dinosaur was found in 1942 by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History during an excavation in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. It was quietly kept in the museum’s basement for over 60 years.
In 1985, paleontologists Bob Bakker, Phil Currie and Michael Williams “rediscovered” the skull and described it as the distinct dinosaur species Nanotyrannus lancensis. They concluded that the legendary Tyrannosaurus was sharing its kingdom with a smaller cousin, a “pygmy tyrant,” as the name reflects.
The roar of Nanotyrannus has been deafening since.
Most paleontologists doubt the validity of Nanotyrannus for several complex reasons. The simplest (and biggest doubt) is where the divisive species resides in the fossil record and paleontology’s understanding of Tyrannosaurus.
So far, all the Nanotyrannus specimens are sub-adults, while a definitive adult has yet to be discovered. Meanwhile, those fossils are the same size and shape paleontologists would expect for a teenage Tyrannosaurus.
Validating Nanotyrannus would tear open a teenage Tyrannosaurus-sized hole many paleontologists believe Nanotyrannus already fills perfectly well.
“Definite Tyrannosaurus rex specimens of the same age-at-time-of-death as the ‘Nanotyrannus’ specimens aren’t currently known,” Holtz said. “Either there are two tyrannosaurs in this community of dinosaurs, one only known from teenagers and another only known from adults, or the smaller ones are the juveniles of the adults.”
Becoming A Tyrant
Holtz is one of the world’s foremost experts on Tyrannosaurus and its relatives. Once the paper burst onto social media, paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts worldwide eagerly awaited his take.
“Longrich and Saitta present evidence for the idea that we have two separate dinosaurs,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “This is certainly a possibility. Most of their arguments hinge on the idea that the degree of difference between the two is too much to be explained with growth.”
Holtz commended Longirch and Saitta for aspects of their thorough research. They included all the potential specimens of Nanotyrannus found since 1985, and they present a more complete list of skeletal differences between Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus.
There are “accepted facts,” like the curiously slender jaws and teeth of the Nanotyrannus specimens, that raise questions on how Tyrannosaurus grew up. However, even if the fossil record of Tyrannosaurus is filled with “growing pains,” Holtz believes its close relatives offer valuable insight that explains the drastic changes all tyrannosaurs underwent.
“Animals change with growth, and animals with a lot of growing to do go through a lot of changes,” he said. “Other tyrannosaurids, like Gorgosaurus and Tarbosaurus, show many of the same differences between youngsters and adults, only not to the same extreme because the adults are not as big as adult Tyrannosaurus.”
The Teen That’s Not An Adult (And Vice Versa)
The game-changing discovery will come from a fossil that hasn’t been discovered or published yet. Holtz said that specimen would need to be “a definitive adult Nanotyrannus which is unquestionably not a Tyrannosaurus, or a 12-year-old Tyrannosaurus which is unquestionably not a Nanotyrannus.”
There are potential candidates.
“Jane,” the tyrannosaur skeleton at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois, has been cited as the first complete specimen of Nanotyrannus.
Meanwhile, paleontologists at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences are researching the “Dueling Dinosaurs,” two of the best-preserved dinosaur specimens ever found in the United States. One of the two is a 98% complete tyrannosaur in the same size range as the potential Nanotyrannus specimens.
One or both specimens might settle the controversy, but the research on them has yet to be published. Until then, since science doesn’t settle longstanding debates with “slam-dunk papers,” Holtz doesn’t think the new paper conclusively ends the Nanotyrannus debate.
“Some might find this paper convincing, and that is perfectly reasonable,” he said. “But others may still hold off on this hypothesis for the time being.”
Siamese Or Orange Tabby?
Angela Reddick is a paleontologist who works with Northwest College in Powell and the Washakie Museum in Worland. She has a master’s degree in Geology from Northern Illinois University and a background in mathematics and statistics.
Reddick isn’t a tyrannosaur expert, but her master’s thesis was on a statistical analysis that grouped the femora, upper leg bones, of multiple individual Allosaurus, the large Late Jurassic carnivore, by age of the individual the femur belonged to.
From a statistical perspective, Reddick thinks a compelling case has been presented.
“I think it makes a lot of sense,” she said. “It’s a little hard to say, but I agree with their general conclusions. Nanotyrannus, in my opinion, probably is a separate species.”
However, the lines between different species and different individuals can be tricky. Longrich and Saitta’s study used a variety of skeletal differences, mainly in the skulls of Tyrannosaurus, to show several distinct traits not seen in Tyrannosaurus but present in all the Nanotyrannus specimens.
Reddick described the dilemma of classifying dinosaur species by comparing it to the outlandish variety in today’s furry companions.
“It’s difficult to differentiate species when they’re closely related,” she said. “When looking at the Siamese cat versus an orange tabby cat, they’re not different species. Whereas when you have two dog breeds, like a Great Dane and a Chihuahua, those are ridiculously different but can interbreed and produce viable offspring. You can’t always tell when they’re that closely related.”
Reddick also wishes the paper looked beyond the dinosaurs’ skulls and deeper at the other parts of their skeletons. A head can tell someone a lot, but it’s not the whole story.
“There is a distinct difference in length, girth and shape in some leg bones that I would say still are consistent among one species, let alone might be indicative of (multiple species.)”
Breaking The Lance In Wyoming
Nearly all the hotly debated fossils of Nanotyrannus, including the Cleveland specimen, “Jane” and the Dueling Dinosaurs, have come from Montana, a paradise for anyone hunting Tyrannosaurus and its tyrannical kin.
In Wyoming, several Tyrannosaurus fossils and a handful of complete skeletons have been found, but nearly all have come from adults. Wyoming is seen as a lesser vassal state in the realm of the Tyrant Lizard King and barely factors into the Nanotyrannus debate.
However, a growing amount of fossil evidence is being collected from the Late Cretaceous rocks of Wyoming. The battle raging over the owner of dinosaur bones in Montana may be solved by the teeth and other fossils emerging outside Glenrock.
The Triceratops Gulch Project has collected thousands of fossils from the Lance Formation, which was deposited when Tyrannosaurus ruled Wyoming. For several summers, dozens of paleontologists and citizen scientists have traveled to Glenrock to assist in the excavation.
Matt Mossbrucker, director of the Morrison Museum of Natural History in Morrison, Colorado, has led the project with the Glenrock Paleon Museum. Fossils excavated and examined by Mossbrucker and his field teams in Glenrock have informed his professional opinion on the validity of Nanotyrannus.
“I remain unconvinced that Nanotyrannus is a juvenile Tyrannosaurus,” he said. “As someone who approaches these contestable fossils without the zeal for the mythos behind tyrannosaurs, I think the growing sample of Nanotyrannus fossils indicates it was a distinctive animal. Frankly, if it weren’t found in the same beds that entombed Tyrannosaurus, I do not think we would be having this discussion.”
The Hell Creek Formation in Montana and South Dakota ranks as one of the most studied rock layers in the world. The lesser-known but contemporaneous Lance Formation in Wyoming reveals another view of the prehistoric past, and the answer to the vexing Nanotyrannus question may be in that view.
Wyoming fossils may have played a small part in the ongoing controversy, but Mossbrucker believes they will have a significant role in the future of Nanotyrannus.
“Bones and teeth collected by the crew at Triceratops Gulch, along with the specimens I have examined, have given me insight into this dinosaur,” he said. “Nanotyrannus seems to be a more common large carnivore during the end-Cretaceous than T. rex in our field area in the Lance Formation outside Glenrock. Wyoming’s fossils will no doubt play a key role in understanding Nanotyrannus.”
Mossbrucker and his colleagues are working on their own research based on the fossils collected from Triceratops Gulch. Once published, it will add more knowledge to the paleontological community and fodder for the ongoing debate over Nanotyrannus.
Ultimately, the dinosaurs themselves will answer these long-standing questions once their fossils emerge from millions of years of burial and reveal their secrets. Mossbrucker cited the words of John Bell Hatcher, the legendary paleontologist who found the first fossils of Wyoming’s state dinosaur (and Tyrannosaurus/Nanotyrannus dinner option), Triceratops.
“The fossils contradict expert opinions,” he said. “Understanding dinosaurs is a numbers game. The more fossils collected, with contextual data, the greater our perception of these animals. Each summer field season yields new finds, and summertime is around the corner.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
Wyoming
Hoping to draw Colorado interest, construction begins at $80M betting facility in Laramie County
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Foundation work is beginning this week on Wyoming’s next horse betting and gaming house.
The $80 million Wyoming Downs facility in Laramie County, one of two the company is investing in over the next couple of years, is poised to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state. The company is aiming for a spring 2027 opening.
The facility will host upwards of 600 historic horse racing machines, Wyoming’s largest TV wall, multiple dining options and more across 58,000 square feet. More land was bought for future hotel development. Commuters driving between Cheyenne and the Colorado border can see clearly from Interstate 25 the expansive development.
That placement along the travel corridor is purposeful, Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway said.
“I think that the targeted consumer for this is from Colorado or from the Front Range,” Ridgeway said. “I anticipate we’re going to have plenty of people from Cheyenne come down here to play and enjoy the amenities, but when you look at 600,000 people within a 30-minute drive, that’s what justifies this investment and brings all that tax revenue in from another state, which is fantastic.
“We don’t get the opportunity to do that in Wyoming very often.”
There is still plenty to offer Cheyenne residents besides the facility’s amenities. Ridgeway said in a speech to attendees at the project’s groundbreaking Tuesday, June 2, that more than 150 permanent jobs will be supported by the facility on top of the dozens supported by the companies’ corporate offices and the 400-plus involved in the project’s construction.
Groathouse Construction, a Wyoming business, is the project’s general contractor. Wyoming Downs said it believes putting the project in local hands also helps keep the project uniquely Wyoming-focused.
Ridgeway added the facilities have already proven themselves to be effective tax revenue generators for the local governments. The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s 2025 report, released in late May, shows bettors wagered $2.49 billion on historic horse racing machines last year, a jump from the $2.11 billion wagered in 2024.
Wyoming Downs facilities generate roughly $25 million in taxes annually across the state, and Ridgeway estimated after the ceremony that the upcoming $80 million facility alone will generate an additional $3 million for Laramie County once the property has been in operation for a few years.
Horse betting sites have been increasingly popping up across Wyoming this decade. The Wyoming Downs location will be Cheyenne’s second large-scale horse betting facility since 2024, when the 30,000-square-foot Horse Palace at Swan Ranch opened. Ridgeway said Wyoming Downs is still offering something fresh for tourists and residents.
“This’ll have amenities that Swan Ranch doesn’t have, including the largest TV wall in Wyoming and a pretty super-cool sports viewing area with a restaurant and just a level of finish and class that I don’t think Wyoming has quite seen yet with these types of properties,” he said.
Ridgeway said he thinks resident fatigue with these facilities isn’t as strong as it appears, especially given the tourism benefits of off-track betting.
“Wyoming’s been built on mineral extraction and tourism, and what this is is a touristic facility. I’m not aware of any particular pushback about this specific facility outside of — you see random social media comments where people say, ‘Oh, another gambling facility.’ But where this is located, I think people in Cheyenne have generally been supportive of,” he said.
The Laramie County facility will be just one part of a larger project Wyoming Downs is working on over the next few years. Construction will begin in early 2027 on a similar facility in Evanston looking to draw in Utah and western Colorado crowds.
Some of the company’s current facilities, notably in Casper, Cheyenne and Rock Springs, will see millions poured into renovations as well. New smaller-scale parlors will also go up in Gillette and Green River this year, according to an information packet provided by the company.
More details will come as the construction process develops, Ridgeway said. Details about amenities, such as what the complex’s dining options will look like, remain undisclosed, though Ridgeway promised that options will be “excellent.”
“We haven’t made final selections on what the options are, but we have a number of different options on the table that we’re considering for what we want to offer for the customers,” Ridgeway said. “You have to have something that’s high quality for where this is located. If somebody’s going to drive 25 or 35, or even 45 minutes to come here, they got to be able to sit down and have a quality meal.”
For more information as it becomes available and to learn more about Wyoming Downs facilities and 307 Horse Racing‘s events and offerings, see the companies’ websites. Renderings for the upcoming Cheyenne facility commissioned by the company are available for viewing below.
Related
GILLETTE, Wyo. — Two of the Republican candidates for Wyoming governor, Megan Degenfelder and Brent Bien, went head to head in Campbell County this evening. They both highlighted differences in some areas but agreed on energy, public lands, government oversight, abortion and election security.
Degenfelder, Wyoming’s superintendent of public instruction, introduced herself as “a Wyoming ranch kid whose parents clawed their way into the middle class” and said she believes Wyoming is “worth fighting for” because she believes the Wyoming people’s lives are at stake.
Bien, a retired Marine Corps colonel and combat veteran, pointed to his military career and leadership experience.
“My whole adult life has been about leadership, about principled conservative leadership,” he said. “My objective is to restore principled conservative leadership, accountability and discipline to Cheyenne.”
Nuclear energy
Both candidates supported Wyoming’s role in energy production but opposed bringing outside nuclear waste into the state.
“I do not want Wyoming to be … the permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel. I will not allow that to happen on my watch,” Bien said.
Degenfelder said Wyoming should consider nuclear power as part of its energy future but added, “If it works for us to be able to have nuclear as part of the portfolio, then it has to be right for Wyoming and that is ensuring that we do not accept anyone else’s waste, period.”
Public lands
The candidates also opposed privatization of public lands.
“No one loves public lands more than I do,” Degenfelder said. “You start selling that to the highest bidder, Wyoming loses who we are.”
Bien said he is “absolutely opposed” to federal lands being sold to private interests.
“If they do decide to dispose of it, then we as the state of Wyoming should get first-right refusal at no cost,” he said.
Attorney general and judicial appointments
When asked what each would be looking for in an attorney general and judicial appointment, both candidates called for conservative leadership.
Bien said he would seek an attorney general from outside state government.
“I want a clean set of eyes to look at what everything’s been that’s been going on,” he said. “I want someone who will put people first and it will put Wyoming first.”
Degenfelder said she wants stronger advocacy from state agencies.
“I want a bulldog in not just the attorney general’s office, but in all state agencies,” she said. “I want an attorney general that is so aligned to my mission and vision and what I believe that there’s an amicus brief on my desk the next morning after an action takes place.”
Immigration
Both candidates supported stronger immigration enforcement.
Bien explained he wanted to cooperate with ICE “to the fullest extent possible” and to make sure immigrants who are not in the United States legally would be sent out of the state.
Degenfelder said illegal immigration is already affecting communities in Wyoming.
“If you’re here legally, you got nothing to worry about. If you aren’t, it’s time to go home,” she said.
Energy development and green energy
Energy policy generated some of the sharpest comments of the night.
Degenfelder argued renewable energy projects should compete without government support.
“I’m also an economist and so I’ll tell you the way that you kill these green energy, you make them play on the same playing field,” she said. “No more tax subsidies, no more handouts, ensuring the regulatory environment is just as equal.”
Bien took a firmer stance against renewable development.
“Folks, there’s no place in Wyoming for this green energy,” he said. “I want these things bonded up front and where we’re not paying for these like we did all the gas wells. The answer for me is absolutely, unequivocally no.”
Economic development
Degenfelder argued government should focus on infrastructure such as water and sewer systems rather than directing economic development.
“Government does not create jobs. Private business does,” she said.
Bien echoed that sentiment.
“The only business that government has in business is simply to get out of the way. It’s to cut taxes. It’s to deregulate,” he said. “Right now, we’re turning into state capitalism where we have our own state government picking winners and losers.”
Government audits
Both candidates supported increased auditing of state government.
“This state has not done a full-blown budgetary audit since 1989,” Bien said. “Whoever’s belly-aching loudest is going to get audited first.”
Degenfelder agreed.
“We should be auditing every single state agency, every single budget line all the time,” she said. “Government is a beast, and you need someone in there who can tame it and who knows how to do it.”
Abortion
Abortion was another topic where both candidates expressed strong opposition.
“Life starts at conception and there are no exceptions,” Degenfelder said. “We are now one of the most openly abortion states in the country because of that ruling by the Supreme Court. We’re working against the devil here.”
Bien also opposed abortion.
“Folks, for me, there are no exceptions. Life does begin at conception,” he said.
Election integrity
Bien advocated for hand-counting ballots.
“I am very much a proponent of hand tabulation being the primary method of counting all cast paper ballots and I will push that way,” he said.
Degenfelder called for paper ballots statewide.
“Every single ballot should be a paper ballot,” she said, adding that she supports “banning dropboxes.”
Republican platform
Both candidates pledged support for the Wyoming Republican Party platform.
“80% is a no-brainer, and we need to require that out of our elected officials,” Degenfelder said.
Bien said he expects to be held to “100%” of the platform.
“The party’s been co-opted. You have to have an ‘R’ behind your name to win in this state,” he said.
Candidate priorities
During a segment where candidates selected their own discussion topics, Degenfelder highlighted school choice, career and technical education, removing pornography from school libraries and protecting Wyoming’s water rights.
Bien focused on education and agriculture, criticizing student proficiency rates and proposing policies aimed at strengthening Wyoming’s agricultural industry, including declaring agriculture critical infrastructure and reducing regulations on small butcheries.
Technology and education
Although technology and its place within education was not discussed during the debate, County 17 asked both Degenfelder and Bien their thoughts regarding student technology in schools.
Bien said technology is being used too much in classrooms and is making it harder for students to think on their own.
“What it’s doing is it’s dumbing down our kids,” Bien said. “Our kids aren’t learning how to critically think anymore. They go straight to one of the AI things and it generates an answer for them.”
Degenfelder said she backed a bill to ban cellphones during instruction time.
“I supported a bill that came through the legislature a couple of years ago that actually would ban cell use during instructional time, and I stand by that,” Degenfelder said. “I think that it’s appropriate to take cellphones out of classrooms, and what we find is that kids thrive.”
Closing statements
In closing remarks, Bien emphasized his experience as an outsider candidate.
“I am the only outsider in this race, but I am the only one who’s got an inordinate amount of leadership experience,” he said. “Folks, you deserve a government that you can trust.”
Degenfelder pointed to her endorsements from President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman.
“I get asked a lot, ‘How did you get the Trump endorsement?’” Degenfelder said. “The answer is really simple. I earned it.”
Alongside other candidates, Bien and Degenfelder will be competing for support in Wyoming’s Republican gubernatorial primary Aug. 18.
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